Who Am I?

This week's Mindset (the 138th week in a row!) is probably one of the most vulnerable I have been and will be. I write with the hope that my words can help others as they search for stability in their journey to grow.

This question of "who am I?" is one I have asked myself for as far back as I can remember. In my book, Leadership Over Loneliness, I share anecdotes and stories that may play a role in why I have and continue to question who I am.

For years, I have looked back to not look forward. I have tried to connect the dots of my past only to stop short of aligning them to my present or future. I have used the past to dictate decisions I have made in the present. The past was the excuse that forced me to question who I am and was. I was stuck in the mud, morphing myself in the moment, and allowing for casualties along the way. I was asking who I was to fill the emptiness I had and the confusion I allowed the past to create. I was asking who I was – and that became the excuse, not the reason, for the man I was in the moment.

Then the growth journey began. I started investing into me instead of always depositing outside of myself. I started to see the past as a foundation and not a rabbit hole. Today? I ask myself who am I to check myself. Am I on the path set forth for me by me...not because of outside forces? I look in the mirror and ask "who am I?" to check myself in the moment to ensure I am exhibiting my best version of self or the most authentic version.

Today I challenge you all – no matter where you are in your journey of personal growth – to ask yourself who YOU are and be open to what comes to you. It will never be perfect. We weren't made to be 100 percent. But we are here to grow – to learn from mistakes and experiences of the past, to look in the mirror and want better each and every day.

I leave you with this: Who am I? I am a work in progress. I can assure you: you are too. And you know what? That is OK!

Don't give up. I know I am not.

How are you winning?